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7676767676 Looking Around
9. Up You Go!
2nd February 1984
Mountaineering Camp
Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi
We were at the mountaineering camp
and were very excited. Twenty of us were
teachers from Kendriya Vidyalayas.
There were other women from banks and
other institutions.
Today was the second day of the camp.
In the morning as I got out of bed and
put my foot down, I screamed in pain. I
remembered yesterday’s 26 kilometre walk with the heavy
rucksack on my back. I was afraid to go back to that steep
climb and the rough narrow path.
With tears in my eyes I started walking slowly towards the
room of Brigadier Gyan Singh, the Director of our adventure
course. I was thinking of what I would say to excuse myself
from that day’s trek. Suddenly, I heard his deep voice
from behind.
“Madam, what are you doing here at breakfast
time? Hurry up! Otherwise you will have to trek
on an empty stomach.”
“Sir, Sir….,” I could not say any more.
“You have came to tell me that you have blisters
on your feet, that you cannot walk, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“That is nothing new. Now get ready quickly.”
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Up You Go! 77
Tell
w Have you ever seen the mountains? Have you also climbed
a mountain? When and where?
w How far have you walked at one time? How far can you
walk?
Imagine
w What do you think about the paths on the mountains?
Draw a picture.
A big responsibility
I started thinking about what a leader must do:
– Help others in carrying their bags.
– Let the group go ahead and keep to the last.
– Help those who cannot climb properly.
– Find a good place to stop and rest.
– Look after those who are not well.
– Arrange for food for the group.
The most important thing is to be ready to be punished
even when some one else may have made a mistake.
I realised that there was a special kind of discipline here.
I wondered whether the camp will still be fun!
I hung my head and rushed back to get ready. I had just
turned when I heard his voice again, “Listen, madam. You
will lead group number 7. You will have to help any member
who has difficulty climbing the mountain. You have
already been told about the responsibilities of a group
leader in the mountains.”
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78 Looking Around
Group no. 7
Group No. 7 included girls from Assam, Manipur, Mizoram,
Meghalaya and Nagaland. I was the only teacher from Kendriya
Vidyalaya in this group. I was happy to meet my new group
members. Most of them could not speak Hindi well. I still feel
bad that after being together for 21 days, I could not talk
even once with Khondonbi from Mizoram. She spoke only
Mizo. But in our hearts we grew close to each other.
5 February 1984Crossing the river...
We got vitamin C, iron tablets and hot chocolate milk with
our breakfast. These were given for strength and to keep us
warm in the cold. Every morning there would
be a medical check up. We tied our bandages
and counted the days left!
After an eight kilometre trek we reached a
river. There was a thick rope tied across the
river, from one bank to the other. The rope
was tightly fixed to pegs or ‘pitons’ on both
the sides. I was feeling nervous. I started
thinking what would happen if the rope came
out. I was trying to estimate how wide the
river was.
Tell
w What do you think about the responsibilities of
a group leader?
w How would you feel if you were made a leader in
such a camp?
w What does a monitor in your class have to do?
w Would you like to be the class monitor? Why?
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Up You Go! 79
Our instructor tied a rope around his waist and put a sling
(type of hook) in it. He then put the sling on the thick rope tied
across the river. Walking through the icy water, he went to the
other side. No one was ready to step into the fast flowing river.
Everyone was pushing each other to go first. I stood last in the
line hoping that no one would see me. Just then our instructor
came near me with the sling and rope in his hands. I knew
there was no escape now. I was ready, but did not have the
courage. Sir could guess my fears. He called out loudly, “Three
cheers for Sangeeta madam!” And before I knew it, someone
had gently pushed me into the water.
I felt as if my feet were frozen. I started shivering, my teeth
were chattering. I caught hold of the rope and started putting
my feet firmly on the river bed. As I walked further in, the river
got deeper and slowly the water reached upto my neck. In the
middle of the river I lost my balance and started slipping. I was
so scared and felt so cold, that the rope slipped from my hands.
I started shouting for help.
I was sure I would be carried away
by the river. But no, I found that I was
tied with the rope to the sling. “Hold
the rope! Hold the rope”, I could hear
the shouts. I somehow managed to get
hold of the rope and pull myself
forward. Slowly, with some courage, I
reached the river bank. I felt a special
kind of happiness as I came out of
the water. Happiness on finishing a
challenging task. Now, standing on
the bank, I was calling out to the others
to hold the rope tightly. I knew that this confidence was a result
of facing a challenge with courage.
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80 Looking Around
10 February 1984
Find out and write
w What kinds of tools are needed for climbing mountains?
w Have you ever seen a hook and rope being used for anything
else? Where?
w What else can we use if we want to cross a river in the
mountains?
w Why do we need extra energy on the mountains?
w Have you ever heard of anyone who has done something
adventurous? What?
w Have you ever done anything adventurous? If yes, tell your
class. Write about it in your own words.
Rock climbing
We had to climb 15 km to reach Tekla village. It was at a
height of 1600 metres. Our rucksacks had all that we may
need – food packets, water bottle, rope, hook, plastic sheet,
diary, torch, towel, soap, windcheater, whistle, glucose,
jaggery, chana and some other snacks.
We could see fruits and
vegetables growing in the
step fields. We saw Colonel
Ram Singh standing on a
90 metres high flat rock
with pegs and ropes.
We had been told to first
observe the rock carefully
and identify holds – places
where we can put our hands
and feet. Today I was not
going to back out. I stood first
in the line. Our instructor tied
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Up You Go! 81
a rope around his waist. He put the sling, and
held the thick rope which was hanging. He
started climbing as if he was running up. I
also put my sling. But as I took my first step,
I slipped. And there I was – swinging from the
rope!
“Keep your body at an angle of 90° while
climbing,” I heard. “Keep your back straight.
Do not bend.”
Keeping this in mind, I imagined the rock as
flat ground and started to climb up. Again while
coming down we had to use the rope, in a special
way called ‘rapling.’ I did this with the same
fearlessness.
Tell
w Have you ever climbed a tree? How did you feel? Were
you scared? Did you ever fall?
w Have you ever seen someone climb a small wall? What
do you think is the difference between climbing a
wall and climbing a high rock?
A funny incident
It was evening. Khondonbi was feeling hungry. We did not
have anything to eat. She jumped over the fence and got
into a field. She quickly plucked two big cucumbers and
came back. Just then a woman came from behind and caught
hold of her bag. She started saying something to Khondonbi
in her own language. We could not understand what she
was saying. Khondonbi was trying to explain in her Mizo
14 February 1984
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82 Looking Around
15 February 1984
language which we could not understand. I tried to explain
in Hindi but neither of them could understand it. Finally, I
folded my hands to say that we were sorry.
By then our group had gone far ahead. It was already
dark. I thought we had lost our way. Now we were really
scared. We could not see anything even with our torches. I
started sweating even though it was cold. I tightly held
Khondonbi’s hand. I called out loudly, “Where are you all?
Can you hear me?” My voice echoed in the mountains. We
both started to whistle loudly and flashed our torches.
Probably the group had noticed that we were missing. We
heard some whistles at a distance. I understood the signal.
We held each other's hand tightly and waited. Khondonbi
felt that we should keep talking. She started singing a Mizo
song loudly. After some time, we saw them coming towards
us. At last! We were with the group again.
Tell
w Is there anyone in your class whose language you do
not understand, or who does not understand yours?
What do you do in such a case?
w Have you ever lost your way? What did you do then?
w Why do you think Khondonbi would have sung loudly?
w Have you ever seen someone doing something special
to get over their fear? What and when?
Try
w Ask your friend for a book without speaking. Try to explain
something to the class in the same way.
A special guest
After dinner we met a special guest – Bachhendri Pal. She had just been
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Up You Go! 83
selected as a part of the team to climb Mount Everest. She had
come to seek the blessings of Brigadier Gyan Singh. It was a happy
evening – we were all singing. Bachhendri also joined us in singing
and dancing on the famous Pahadi song ‘Bedu Pako, bara masa,
kafal pako chaita, meri chhaila.’ At that time we had no idea that
Bachhendri would become the first Indian woman to reach Mount
Everest and create history.
Camp in the snow
We were standing at a height of 2134 meters. We were to spend
the night here. Everyone was busy trying to put up the tent. We
used double layered plastic sheets for the tent and for the ground.
The air between the layers would help to keep us warm. We put
in the pegs and began to put up the
tent. As we tied it from one side, the
wind flew the tent from the other side.
After quite a lot of pulling and tugging,
we managed to get the tent up. Then
we dug a drain around the tent.
We were feeling very hungry. We
collected some firewood and stones to
make a chulha and cooked some food.
After the meal, we collected all the waste
in a bag to clean the camp site. Soon
we got into our sleeping bags. I was not
sure if I would be able to sleep in it. Would it be comfortable?
Would I not feel cold? But the bags were filled with soft feathers,
which help in keeping us warm. We were all very tired. So very
soon we fell asleep.
Teacher’s Note : The children can be encouraged to learn the languages spoken
by their friends. This would help them appreciate and respect other languages.
18 February 1984
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84 Looking Around
The next morning we woke up and found
that it was snowing. White soft fluf fy
snowflakes were gently falling. Wow! It was so
beautiful ! The plants, the trees, the grass and
the mountains – everything looked white. Today
we were to climb higher, to 2700 metres. We
walked carefully on the snow with the help of
sticks. It was difficult because we kept slipping. By afternoon
we had reached snow covered mountains. We enjoyed throwing
snowballs at each other and making a big snowman.
Last day at camp
We were getting ready for the camp fire. Each group presented
a programme. We were enjoying – telling jokes and laughing,
singing and dancing around the camp fire. Soon it was midnight.
Brigadier Gyan Singh got up and called me. I thought, “Oh, no!
what have I done this time?” But when Sir announced my name
for the ‘Best Performance Award’ I stood still. He blessed me
and tears of joy rolled down my face.
21 February 1984
Discuss
w Why do you think a drain was
dug around the tent?
w Besides mountaineering, what
are other activities that can be
called adventurous? Why?
Teacher’s Note : These pages of a diary are based on
the real experiences of Sangeeta Arora. She teaches
in Kendriya Vidyalaya, Shalimar Bagh, Delhi and is
also a member of this EVS textbook writing team.
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Up You Go! 85
Teacher’s Note : Teachers can either make available the photographs or if possible
the actual mountaineering equipment like sling, pitons, hunter shoes, sleeping
bag etc. This will help discussion with children.
Alone on the mountain top
A twelve-year old girl living in the mountains was out on a school picnic. She climbed a
mountain peak of 4000 metres with her friends. The girls had done this for fun and
adventure. Soon it was dark and they could not come down. It was also cold and scary.
They were alone without any food and it was a long night. This happened to Bachhendri
Pal, played when she was a young girl.
Bachhendri grew up in Nakuri village in the Garhwal area of Uttarakhand. When
she grew older, she joined Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi. Her guide
was Brigadier Gyan Singh. Bachhendri did very well in her training. She started to
train women in mountaineering courses. In 1984, Bachhendri was selected as a team
member to climb the Mount Everest.
Snow stormThere were seven women in that 18 member team. On the night of 15th May the team
was very tired after having reached a height of 7300 metres. The team put up their
tents and went to sleep. Around midnight they heard a loud sound and then a bang.
Before they were fully awake, the tent flew off and something very heavy hit them. There
was a terrible snow storm. Bachhendri was almost buried under the snow and was hurt
on the head. Many of the team members were also injured. The others used snow-picks
and axes to dig out those who had been buried under the snow.
The rest of the team members returned to base camp but Bachhendri went ahead,
climbing slowly but steadily towards the peak. It was seven minutes past one o’clock in
the afternoon of 23th May when Bachhendri Pal stepped onto the peak of 8900 metre
high Mount Everest also called Sagarmatha in Nepal.
There was another team member with her. There was no space for two people to
stand on the top at the same time. One slip and they would fall straight down-thousands
of feet below! Bachhendri and her team-mate dug into the snow and pitched their axe
firmly in the ice. Using this as a hook, they tied themselves to it with a rope. Only then
two of them could stand there. She was shivering with cold but filled with the warmth of
achievement. She bowed her head, pitched the national flag and took photographs. She
spent 43 minutes on the highest peak in the world.
Bachhendri Pal became the first Indian woman and the fifth woman in the world to
reach the peak of Mount Everest.
Imagine and Write
w You are on a mountain. How do you feel there? What can
you see? What do you feel like doing there?
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86 Looking Around
Think
w Why did Bachhendri put up the Indian flag on the peak?
w When have you seen our national flag being hoisted?
Collect information of our national flag.
w Make groups of 6-8 children. Design a flag for your
group. Explain why you chose that design.
w Have you seen the flag of any other country? Where?
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What we have learnt
w Explain why it can be adventerous and challenging to
climb a mountain. How would you prepare if you were
to climb a mountain? What would you take with you?
Write in your own words.
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